Teacher's PET

The Estimates presented good and bad news for the education sector. Overall spending is up by 11 per cent, but there is no new money for school buildings. The outcome is a disappointment for Michael Woods, who understands the political sensitivity of hacking back on school building projects in the run-up to the election. Government backbenchers, worried that the local new school might be delayed, are furious. Woods is still confident everything will be alright on the night. Apparently, Charlie McCreevy will deliver a ton of money for schools and other goodies for the education sector on Budget Day.

He had better. Michael Woods failed to secure election as a vice-president at the recent FF ArdFheis and some backbenchers are critical of his tenure. But Michael Woods is a doughty fighter around the Cabinet table. Bet on his good relationship with Bertie to keep him out of trouble.

Today is D-day at UCD when that messy business about "Dr" Gary Santry will be considered by the governing body. Santry - the PhD who never was - has skipped off to the US, leaving avuncular president Art Cosgrove to sort out the mess. Cosgrove has appointed Ronan Fanning to investigate the whole business of how the Smurfit Business School was duped by Santry. TP hears that nerves are more than a little frayed down at the Smurfit Business School. Some of the great and the good in Belfield have never hidden their unease about the self-styled Independent Republic of Carysfort. Expect some yellow cards - and some red faces.

Only one question is dominating the minds of those other hard-working mandarins at the Department of Education - will they get more staff in the Budget? As the very sensible Sean Cromien hinted in his report, the Department is hopelessly understaffed, given the range and increasing complexity of its roles. TP thinks Charlie McCreevy should look favourably on the Department's demands for more staff.

TP was surprised at the muted reaction of the teacher unions and other education partners to the news that private-public partnerships have been agreed for five schools. This means a private company, in this case the English firm, Jarvis PLC, will build and crucially own - for a time - the five schools in question. While the State will eventually regain control of them, it is a form of privatisation. And yet the teacher unions have been struck dumb. Maybe that is because other private organisations, such as the churches, have owned schools for years and there was not a peep out of anyone.

Got any education gossip You can e-mail TP in confidence at teacherspet@irish-times.ie